In the field of postoperative spinal therapy, it is well known that serious loss of motion, painful contractures and stiffness may occur. It is also well known that rehabilitation is difficult in that the normal collagen formation cannot occur and disorganized scar results which further impedes the healing process and recovery.
Other devices have been produced to exercise the human body for rehabilitative or other purposes. Typical of the art are those devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,152,431 issued to S. H. Jensen on Mar. 28, 1939; U.S. Pat. No. 2,598,204 issued to R. E. Allen on May 27, 1952; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,315,666 issued to J. W. Sellnor on Apr. 25, 1967; U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,132 issued to C. A. Ragon, et al. on Jun. 17, 1969; U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,480 issued to R. F. Chisholm on Nov. 30, 1971; U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,017 issued to H. Stefani, Jr. on Jul. 4, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,730 issued to R. Chenera on Jul. 30, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,913 issued to A. E. Parker on May 9, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,072 issued to L. M. Goodman on May 30, 1989. Each of these devices is designed to exercise the human body in some fashion for strengthening, stretching, relaxing, reducing weight, or some other related function. None of these, however, is designed specifically for exercising a patient's cervical spine as a rehabilitation technique following surgery, or for patients suffering from chronic deconditioned spines. For example, the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,623,480 ('480), 3,674,017 ('017), and 4,827,913 ('913) patents are most useful in exercising the abdomen region. However, these designs employ a single pivoting support surface, the surface being pivoted in a range from substantially the horizontal plane upward to substantially the vertical plane. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,072 ('072) patent discloses an invention which is specifically designed to exercise the legs in like manner by elevating the legs simultaneously or individually above or below the horizontal plane, with no other body parts being exercised. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,132 ('132) patent is designed to exercise the feet, legs, hips, back, arms, shoulders and neck of a patient suffering from polio or other form of paralysis or muscular disorder.
The desired exercise for postoperative cervical spinal therapy begins with the patient lying in a substantially horizontal plane, the head then being lowered to an angle below the horizontal, the buttocks, legs, and shoulders remaining stationary throughout. The head is then raised an angle above the horizontal and then lowered back to the starting position and the process repeated a desired number of times or for a desired duration. The angle to which the head is raised above the horizontal plane may be greater than, less than, or equal to the angle the head is lowered below the horizontal. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,152,431 ('431), 2,598,204 ('204), 3,315,666 ('666), and 4,531,730 ('730) patents disclose devices which ma be used to acquire this type of motion. However, they are not designed specifically for postoperative treatment or spinal patients and offer a much wider range of motion than is desired, along with other features unnecessary or inappropriate for such treatment. For example, the '666 patent is designed to massage a user's back or other body part, depending on how the device is employed, and requires the motion of the user to manipulate the device as opposed to an external power source. This, of course, is undesirable due to the weakened condition of the spinal patient. The '666 patent does not provide for a stationary buttocks support, thereby preventing the isolation of the desired muscles for rehabilitation. Likewise, the '730 patent is ineffective because it is designed specifically for stretching the legs of a user in order to improve leg flexibility. The '730 patent is also manually operated with no means for limiting the range of motion of each repetition.
It may be desirable for the exclusive exercise of the patient's cervical spine when operative or other therapeutic techniques are performed on this portion of the spine. Exercise of the lumbar spine may be unnecessary in these instances. Several patents are known to describe devices for the manipulation of the head in chiropractic procedures. Typical are those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,504 issued to F. H. Barge on May 1, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,905 issued to J. E. Barnes on Mar. 17, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,828 issued to J. E. Barnes, et al., on Feb. 16, 1988; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,111 issued to L. A. Steffensmeier on Oct. 2, 1990. However, these devices are for the application of force to the body of a patient during chiropractic procedures such as "snapping" a patient's spine or a massage. These devices do not provide for continuous passive motion as a means for cervical spine therapy.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a means for passively exercising the muscle groups especially surrounding the cervical spine for postoperative and other rehabilitative therapy.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means whereby the normal collagen formation may occur, thus minimizing scarring and allowing a faster return to normal function and development of strength in both the muscles of function as well as the secondary support system.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means whereby the range of motion is selectable.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby the upper body may be exercised exclusively, while the lower body remains in a resting position.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a means whereby the patient may control the operation of the device.